Playing with fire
by LoveABCFamily
Summary: Set in season 4. Jughead and Betty have a wild night out. After being caught they must face the music. WARNING: CONTAINS SPANKING OF TEENAGERS AND CHILDREN AND THE MENTION OF ABUSE. IF IT OFFENDS YOU DON'T READ.
1. Drinking and vandalism

_**Warning: Contains the spanking of teenagers. If it offends you, please do not read.**_

"Mum, wake-up."

Alice eyes fluttered open and she immediately felt panic when she saw Charles face hovering above her. There was no sign of FP.

"Charles! What happened? Is everything ok?" Alice sat-up in the bed, her senses on high alert.

Charles averted his eyes from Alice's semi-transparent nightgown. Alice quickly pulled the sheet up.

"I'm sorry, honey, I wasn't expecting you." She murmured in embarrassment.

"It's ok. Can we talk downstairs?" Charles was already retreating towards the door.

Alice looked at the clock and saw that it was 3:00 a.m. This couldn't be good. She quickly got-up, grabbed a dressing gown and rushed downstairs where she found Charles pacing in the lounge.

"Charles, what's going on? Where's your father?" She asked worriedly.

"He's on his way to get Jughead and Betty. He called me to come here and be with you. They got into a bit of trouble."

Alice looked panicked "What kind of trouble? Are they ok?"

Charles nodded. "Yes, I think so. Dad got a call from someone called Hogeye. Does that name ring a bell?"

Alice urged him on with her eyes.

"Apparently they had a few drinks at the Wyrm and then went outside to set a dumpster on fire."

Alice put her hand in front of her mouth. "They did WHAT? What were they even doing at the Wyrm?"

Charles shrugged "A birthday party for one of the Serpents, I believe. Anyway, Dad rushed out as soon as he got the call. I think he wants to get there before anyone else at the station is called. They are ok. Hogeye got them back inside the bar and the fire is out."

Alice felt the anger raising in her. "I can't believe they would do such a thing. In their senior year, no less. Let's hope that your father can get there in time."

Charles nodded in agreement. "I'll stay until they're back."

Alice put her hand on his arm. "Thank you."

They waited in silence. Charles sat on the couch and almost dozed off, while Alice paced around the room. About half an hour later they heard FP's truck pull into the driveway. Alice rushed into the kitchen, closely followed by Charles. The door opened and FP entered the house, dragging a wincing Jughead by his ear. Betty followed closely behind them with her head held down.

FP nodded at Charles and let go of Jughead's ear, not before giving it a painful twist. Jughead moaned in pain and rested one arm on the island, while wrapping his other hand around his throbbing ear.

Alice looked at Betty and her eyes opened in wonder when she saw that her daughter was wearing a leather mini-skirt, coupled with fishnet tights and a black top which exposed her cleavage. Had the situation not been so serious, Alice would almost have laughed at how much her daughter looked like her when she was her age.

Instead she looked at FP worriedly. "Did you get there in time?"

FP nodded. Alice could feel the anger radiating off him.

"The Serpents won't rat them out. Luckily Hogeye caught them in time. I never thought that our offspring would be the ones to cause the sheriff to break the law."

"Have they been drinking?" Alice asked.

FP nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid they have had a couple of shots. I'll take that up with Hogeye later. They also set a dumpster on fire."

Alice was furious. She looked at Betty, who was openly crying now.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Elizabeth?"

Betty wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom, FP. We went to celebrate Sweetpea's birthday and then we were playing truth or dare, and the dare was to set fire to the dumpster. We were only going to pretend to do it, but then the fire spread very quickly."

Betty hiccupped in distress and Jughead put his arm around her. "I'm sorry, Dad. I thought we were only pretending. I was almost sure the match was out when we threw it in."

FP took a deep breath and grabbed Jughead's face "Maybe because you were too drunk to notice?"

Jughead was frightened. "Dad, no! We only had two drinks. I swear!"

Alice let out a breath. "Well, that's still two too many! You're 17!"

Jughead took Betty's hand and lowered his head. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm meeting Fangs tomorrow morning to clean-up. No one will know."

FP raised his index finger and pointed it straight at Jughead's face. "Oh, no, you're not. The only thing you'll be meeting tomorrow morning is my belt, Boy!"

Charles looked surprised. Betty gasped. Alice just raised her eyebrow. Jughead looked at his father anxiously, his cheeks tinged red with embarrassment.

"Dad!" He whined. "You can't spank me. I'm too old."

FP was seething. "Well, guess what. You're too young to drink. That didn't stop you. You just lost your right to keep your pants on, by the way. I strongly suggest you stop talking now, unless you want me to whoop your bare ass."

Jughead opened his mouth to protest, but one look at his father and he shut it again. He'd had enough embarrassment for one night. He could tell his father was dead serious.

FP looked at him expectantly. When he saw that his son was following his advice, he nodded.

"Right! That's what I thought. The only reason you're not getting it now is because I'm too angry and it's 4 a.m. Go to bed. We'll continue this discussion in a few hours."

Jughead wordlessly turned around and walked towards the stairs. He knew that the "discussion" would be one-sided only.

Alice looked at her daughter. "Elizabeth, you will also be punished. Go to bed now. We'll talk later."

Betty mumbled "I'm sorry" and followed Jughead up the stairs.

When the adults were alone, FP crossed his arms and shook his head. He looked at Charles.

"Sorry to have dragged you into this, son. Thank you for coming. Go get some rest. Do you want to stay here?"

"I think I'll crash on the couch for a few hours." He looked at FP. "Are you really going to spank him?"

FP nodded. "I love that boy, but trust me, he won't be able to sit down comfortably for a while after I'm done with him."

Charles looked shocked. "I'm not sure I agree with that approach."

FP looked his older son up and down. "Well, then I guess it's good that I'm not asking for your opinion on the matter."

He took hold of Alice's hand. "Time to retire, Al. We can all use some shut-eye at this point. Goodnight Charles."

"Good night." Charles muttered as went into the living-room.

Alice and FP retired to the bedroom and once they had closed the door FP turned towards her.

"You've been very quiet. Do you want to tell me you disapprove of my methods as well?"

Alice shook her head. "I would never get involved in how you discipline your kids."

FP sat on the bed and placed his head in his hands.

"I can't believe he would do this to me. I'm the sheriff, Al. The sheriff!"

Alice sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"FP, I'm quiet because I'm angry as well. Not because you want to spank your son."

FP reached for her hand and raised it to his lips. "Thank you Al. I would do it whether you approve or not, but I'm glad we're not arguing about it."

Alice stroked his hair. "Let's try and get some sleep."

"I'm not my father, Alice. You know that, right? I never left a mark on my kids. Ever!"

"I know, FP. We're not like our parents. We'll never be."

FP nodded and watched her as she brushed her hair. Once finished, she clapped the brush against her hand twice. She examined the hairbrush. "This will do nicely to deal with Betty."

FP opened his mouth in wonder. "You're planning on using that on Betty?"

Alice looked at him unfazed. "I don't know why you're looking so shocked, Forsythe. You're planning on using your belt. That's harsher."

FP was still looking rattled. "I just didn't think you would go that route."

Alice cocked her head to one side. "Well, I hadn't considered it until I heard you speaking to Jug. I haven't spanked Betty since she was 10. Nothing has ever warranted it since then. This does. She's definitely getting it bare, though."

FP smirked and opened his arms. "You never cease to surprise me, woman. Come here!"

Alice smiled at him and laid down in his arms. He kissed her temple softly.

"I love you." He murmured in her ear. Alice smiled and closed her eyes.

**To be continued next week. If you like it let me know. I appreciate all feedback and reviews.**


	2. Jughead and the belt

_**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE SPANKING OF A TEENAGER. DO NOT READ IF IT OFFENDS YOU.**_

Betty was lying in her bed trying to process what had happened. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, she waited for the door to her mother's bedroom to close. She then tiptoed across the hall to the small guestroom, where her boyfriend was currently staying. She opened the door as quietly as possible and went over to his bed. He was curled-up into a ball facing away from her and Betty put her hand on his shoulder.

"Juggie" She whispered. "Are you awake?"

Jughead turned towards her. His eyes were red, and she could see that he had been crying. He quickly wiped his nose.

"Betty! What are you doing here? You're going to get yourself into even more trouble." He moved to make room for her, and she snuggled into his arms.

"Are you ok?" She whispered. "Is it because of what your Dad said? I can ask my Mom to speak to him tomorrow morning to try to change his mind."

Jughead let out a sigh. "It's not about the whipping, Betty. It will be awful, but I'll live. I'm upset because I hurt his feelings. We really did a stupid thing tonight. How could we?"

Betty nodded "I don't know what came over us, Jug."

"Tequila and peer pressure." Jughead whispered "The enemies of every teenager. We should really be able to act more mature after what we've been through."

Betty nodded. "I'm going to be grounded for life."

Jughead held her closer to him. "Yeah. Me too." He planted a kiss on the top of her hair. "You should go now. My Dad's belt is bad enough, I don't need the switch as well."

Betty stroked his face tenderly. "Poor you. You know that my parents used to spank us when we were little?" Betty confessed to him. "They would only ever use their hand, but always spanked us bare." She blushed at the memory.

Jughead nearly choked. "Alice spanked you? I would never have guessed. I know that Archie got his fair share from Fred as well. And there's me who thought it only happened on the Southside."

Betty nodded. "Yeah, I know about Archie. Are you sure you don't want me to talk to my Mom?"

Jughead shook his head. "It won't make a difference. Once FP Jones has issued a ruling, there's no going back."

Betty kissed him. "See you tomorrow, Juggie. I love you."

"Love you too, Betty. Try and get some sleep."

When Jughead woke-up the next morning, he saw Betty standing at the door peeking into his room. He smiled at her and pecked her cheek as he made his way to the bathroom. "Morning beautiful." Once he returned, she followed him into his room. They both sat on the bed looking forlorn. Betty was the first to speak.

"Guess we should go downstairs and face the music." She said dejectedly.

Jughead heard his father's footsteps. "I think my music is here to face me already." He looked towards the door with a sad smile and sure enough, there was FP standing barefoot and wearing his sweatpants. He held a cup of coffee in one hand and the dreaded belt in the other.

"Good morning Jughead…and Betty."

Jughead blushed. "Good morning, Dad."

Betty stood-up and decided to make one last attempt at rescuing her boyfriend.

"FP, we're really, really sorry. Jug and I feel terrible about what happened last night. I swear we'll never do it again. Please don't spank him." She pleaded.

FP just raised his eyebrow towards his son. Jughead saw the dark circles under his father's eyes. He looked exhausted and Jughead's felt his heart constrict.

He quickly got-up and put his arm on Betty's. "Please leave. I really need to be alone with my Dad right now."

Betty nodded and placed a small kiss on his cheek. She walked past FP, who nodded at her before closing the door. Jughead was sitting on his bed again, holding his head between his hands.

FP walked towards him. "Sometimes I think it was easier when it was just the two of us in that trailer." He said tiredly.

Jughead nodded in agreement. "Dad, I swear I didn't ask Betty to try and stop my punishment. She also didn't sleep here with me. I swear she just came in 5 minutes ago. Nothing happened."

FP scoffed. "Save it! Don't insult me. As if I don't know that you two are having sex. That's not the reason I'm here, is it?"

Jughead shook his head and started shaking. A tear ran down his cheek. FP looked surprised. He quickly sat down next to him and put his arm around his son's shoulder. He'd never seen Jughead react to him like that before.

"Hey, hey what's all this? Is this about the whipping?" He asked softly.

Jughead just shook his head, cried even more and hugged his father. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I never meant to disappoint you. You've sacrificed so much for me and I just keep messing up. I don't know why I did what I did last night. You could have lost your job. You could still lose your job."

FP hugged him closer to him. "Son, you did some very stupid things. So did I when I was your age. I won't lose my job. The Serpents would never rat me out. More than anything, I'm angry because you could have jeopardized your education and your future if I hadn't been called."

Jughead became even more agitated. "But all I seem to do is hurt your feelings. When I went looking for grandpa against your wishes, when I cut-up Penny, and now this. I admire you so much and I'm so proud of how far you've come." He hiccupped. "And you know what the worst part is? I didn't even think of it myself. I had to be told by a bloody therapist. How do you even put-up with me?"

FP kissed the top of his head. "I love you, Jug. I was far from the perfect father myself. I can't keep blaming my old man for everything. I'm not disappointed in you, son. Most of the time I am the proudest father in the world."

Jughead managed a small smile. "You are?"

FP nodded. "You've already accomplished so much than I ever did. Going to a proper school, good grades, becoming an author, getting past what happened with your mother. The list is endless."

Jughead sniffled and felt another tear rolling down his cheek. "I love you too Dad. I don't think I say that often enough."

FP felt his own eyes moisten and blinked. He got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom to grab some tissues. He handed them to Jughead.

"Tell you what, Jug. Why don't you save some of those tears for the belt? I'll treat you to Pop's after. Just the two of us."

Jughead managed a small smile. "Guess I didn't manage to talk myself out of it."

FP scoffed "For drinking and vandalism? You should know me better than that." He put his hands on Jughead's shoulders. "I won't go easy on you today. I want to make sure this never happens again."

FP leaned down to pick-up the belt. "Shall we get it over with?"

Jughead nodded sadly and FP looked around the small room. He pulled-up a chair that was next to the bed. "Bend over it."

Jughead recognized his father's tone. There would be no more talking. The only thing on his father's mind right now was to bust his butt. Jughead assumed the dreaded position.

FP patted his bottom. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Jughead turned his head around and looked at his father pleadingly. "Can I keep them on? Please?"

FP cracked his belt in response. "Boy!"

Jughead jumped at the dreaded sound and slowly stepped out of his sweatpants, leaving him only in his t-shirt and boxers.

FP moved to stand behind him and raised his belt high in the air. He whacked it hard across his son's backside three times in rapid succession.

**TWACK, CRACK, TWACK**!

Jughead felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs and he gasped loudly. This was not like his usual whippings. His father was really laying it into him.

FP raised the belt again **TWACK, CRACK, TWACK**!

"Dad!" Jughead screamed as he jumped up. He looked at his father, a frightened look in his eyes. FP just pointed back at the chair.

"**GET!...BACK!…DOWN**!" He said harshly.

Jughead grabbed the chair once more. He had vowed himself not to cry, but now he could feel the tears prickling in his eyes.

**TWACK, CRACK, TWACK**! The belt came down again hard.

"**AAAAARGHHHHHHHH**!" Jughead wailed loudly as the tears spilled out of his eyes. "Dad, please!"

"Please what, Boy? It hurts? Good! I ain't nowhere near being done here." FP aimed for the crease of where his son's bottom met his thighs.

**TWACK, CRACK, TWACK**!

Jughead screamed and jumped up again. He grabbed his bottom. A mix of tears and snot covered his face now. He hiccupped loudly.

"No more, Dad! Please, no more! I can't take any more! Please stop!" Jughead sobbed.

"Move your hands away and get back down." FP said calmly.

"Dad! No! Please! I'm sorry!" Jughead wiped one hand across his face.

"**BOY**! Do not make me count to three. I promise you I'll start over if you don't lean over that chair **RIGHT NOW**!"

Jughead squeezed his eyes tightly shut and grabbed the sides of the chair with shaking arms.

**TWACK, CRACK, TWACK**! FP aimed for the crease again.

Jughead just mewed. He had no fight left in him. FP lowered the belt.

"Get up, son." He patted Jughead's back.

Jughead stood-up on shaking legs and FP sat on the bed. "Get over my knees."

Jughead was shocked "Wait. What?"

"You heard me. I was going to whack you with the belt 21 times to remind you of the legal drinking age." FP said icily. "Yet, I don't think I can go on without leaving a mark. We're finishing this with my hand."

"Dad!" Jughead whined loudly. "It hurts so bad. I can't take any more. Please! No more!"

FP just grabbed him by the arm and roughly pulled him down over his lap. He swatted his bottom ten times right on top of where the belt had landed earlier. Jughead let out a loud cry.

"It's supposed to hurt. I'll decide on how much you can take." FP moved his hand lower until it reached the untouched skin of Jughead's thighs. "I'm going to set your legs on fire. Just like you did to that dumpster."

Having said that, FP slowly and methodically spanked up and down his son's legs, from the crease of his bottom all the way down to the back of his knees.

**SLAP, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP…**

Jughead lost count of the number of times his father's hand came down on him. He'd been reduced to a blubbering toddler. Jughead had never felt such pain in his life. His bottom and legs were on fire.

After about 50 slaps, FP stopped.

"Is the message sinking in, Boy?" He asked.

Jughead just nodded. He had lost his voice.

"Are you going to go out and drink again?" FP smacked his sit-spot hard five times.

Jughead shook his head vehemently "No, Dad." He croaked.

"Are you going to set fire to dumpsters again?" FP placed another 5 smacks on the same place.

"No. I promise!" Jughead cried out.

FP rested his hand on Jughead's back "Ok. You can get up now. We're done here."

Jughead slowly got off his father's lap and FP enveloped him into a tight hug. Jughead cried into his father's shoulder.

"I love you, son. I hate whipping you and I'm glad that I don't have to do this very often." FP said quietly.

"It hardly seems like you're out of practice, Dad." Jughead was still trying to catch his breath. "I was relieved that I wasn't getting the switch. This was worse."

"I told you I wasn't going to go easy on you, Jug. If you do anything like that again, it will be the switch. And no boxers."

Jughead just nodded. "I'll never put you in that position again, Dad. I promise."

FP let go of him. "Lay down for a couple of minutes. There's one more thing I need to discuss with you."

Jughead looked at FP with a scared look in his eyes. Discussion normally only meant one thing in the Jones household and it involved little talking.

FP smiled. He knew exactly what his son was thinking. "Relax Jug, I'm not going to whip you again."

Jughead groaned in relief and stretched out on his stomach. He tried to rub the sting out of his bottom and legs. FP sat down on the bed and rubbed the boy's back.

"Jug, you've seen with your own eyes what alcohol does to a family." FP ran a hand across his face. "You're lucky you never saw your grandpa laying it into me and my mother when he was drunk. We ended up in the hospital a couple of times."

Jughead looked at FP with a horrified look in his eyes. "Dad! You never told me that."

"It's not something I like to talk or think about." FP had a pained look on his face. "I just want you to be careful, ok? Alcohol brings out the worst in people. It's normal for teenagers like you to sneak a drink here and there. Especially if it's forbidden. I was a bit harsher with you today because I don't want you to turn into a drunk like my father and me."

Jughead grabbed his father's hand and squeezed it. "It tasted horrible. I don't think I'll drink again. And it has nothing to do with you wearing me out."

FP ruffled Jughead's hair. "Never say never. Just don't let it turn into an addiction. You still want that breakfast at Pop's?"

Jughead nodded. He tried to get up and winced. "Do you think we can walk there? And eat it standing at the counter?"

FP smiled and nodded. "Guess it will take a while for you to be able to sit comfortably again. Good! It will serve as a reminder." He stood up and walked to the door. "Let me know when you're ready to go. I'll be downstairs."

**Thank you for your reviews and follows. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will deal with Betty's punishment. I appreciate all your feedback.**


	3. Betty and the hairbrush

_**WARNING: CONTAINS THE SPANKING OF A TEENAGER AND THE MENTION OF ABUSE TOWARDS THE END OF THE CHAPTER. IF IT OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READ.**_

FP quietly opened the door to his bedroom. Alice had been asleep when he got-up and he wanted to make sure not to wake her. It had been a short night for all of them. The room was dark, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust.

"Is that coffee I smell, Sheriff Jones?" Alice said sleepily.

FP chuckled. "It is, but I'm afraid it's cold by now. I'll go pour you a fresh one."

By the time he returned, Alice had opened the curtains and was sitting on the bed leaning against the headboard. FP handed her the steaming mug. He scooted-up next to her and kissed her cheek.

"I hope I didn't wake you." He murmured into her neck.

"You didn't. Your son on the other hand…" She looked at him worriedly "Is he ok?"

FP nodded. "He'll be fine. He's a tough kid. We had a good chat and we're off to Pop's for breakfast once he's made himself look presentable again."

Alice opened her eyes in astonishment "He's still going out with you after that?"

FP scoffed. "Hell will freeze over before Jug turns down a meal at Pop's. His only request is that we walk there and eat at the counter, which is fair enuff." FP took hold of Alice's hand. "I know what you're thinking, and no, I didn't whip him in anger. I wanted to make a point, especially about the drinking. I was always in control of the situation."

Alice nodded and her eyes became hooded. "I know. The sound of that belt, FP…." She took a deep breath. "It brought back memories. Of things I thought I had long forgotten."

FP could have slapped himself. He hugged her tightly to him. She melted into his arms and he placed small kisses onto her head. "Ally! Baby! I'm so sorry! I didn't even think about that. It was such a long time ago." He held her even tighter to him. "You were asleep. I just wanted to get the unpleasant matter out of the way. God, I'm such a fool!" He thought once again of how much easier life had been in his trailer at times.

Alice smiled at how he had regressed to using her nickname from when she was 16. She kissed him. "It's ok. Our kids should count themselves lucky. If they only knew half of what we had already gone through at their age."

FP nodded in agreement. "I alluded to that today after I punished him. To make him understand why I was harsher than usual." He sighed. "I was also quite shaken by my memories."

Alice wiggled out of his arms. "I better go check if Betty is awake so that I can deal with her."

FP smiled. "She's awake. She was already in Jug's room when I got there this morning. Tried to talk me out of spanking him."

Alice laughed. "Oh! That went well, didn't it? Is Jughead grounded?"

FP shook his head. "No. I meant it when I said that we had a good chat. It wasn't code for the belt, you know? He feels terrible about the whole thing. More than I thought he would. As far as I'm concerned the matter is dealt with and it's water under the bridge."

Alice looked at him thoughtfully as she watched him get dressed. "Ok. I might use that to my advantage."

\- " -

In the meantime, Jughead had managed to get out of bed and into the shower. He leaned against the wall and tried to relieve some of the sting in his bottom and legs by letting cold water run over the affected areas. He had briefly looked at himself in the mirror, and he had to give his father his due credit. There would be no visible marks of what he thought of as the worst whipping of his life. Once he felt that the sting had somewhat subsided, he got out and dried himself, before pulling on his boxers, sweatpants and a t-shirt. He stepped out of the bathroom and suddenly found himself in Betty's arms. "Oh Juggie, I'm so sorry! I heard some of it. Are you ok?" She had tears in her eyes.

Jughead patted her back. "I'm fine, Betty. This wasn't my first rodeo. I deserved what I got. Or most of it anyway. I'm really just hungry right now."

As much as he loved his girlfriend, he could really use some alone time. Luckily his father seemed to have overheard him as he walked out of his bedroom.

"Ready, son?" He asked and Jughead nodded at him gratefully. Betty followed him down the stairs and past FP, who earned himself a seething glare, which he chose to ignore. Alice was standing at the door. "Hi Jughead." She enveloped him into an awkward hug and Jughead raised his palms towards his father, shooting him an exasperated look.

FP gently pried Alice away and kissed her cheek. "We're off now." He said a bit firmer than intended as he walked out the door with Jughead following closely behind.

"Dad, I miss our trailer today as well." Jughead let out an exasperated groan, once they were out of earshot.

FP nodded and patted Jughead's shoulder. "Tell me about it, son!"

"Next time you feel the urge to whip me, can you please do it in the garage?" Jughead said sarcastically.

FP laughed. "Let's hope you won't give me a reason to. At least Charles left. He doesn't approve of my methods either."

"Lucky escape." Jughead thought to himself as they made their way to the diner in welcome silence.

\- " -

Meanwhile back at the Jones-Cooper residence, Betty was trying to give Alice a piece of her mind.

"Mom, did you hear that earlier? My poor Juggie! How could FP do that to him?"

Alice shot Betty one of her famous icy glares. Could her daughter really be so deluded by the whole incident with her boyfriend that she'd forgotten the trouble she was in?

"Betty, go up to your room. I'll be there shortly. I suggest that you worry more about your own punishment right now."

Betty opened and closed her mouth to object but thought better of it and ran up the stairs. She slammed the door to her room. Alice felt the anger rising in her and took a deep breath. She poured herself another coffee and cleaned the kitchen. Once she had calmed down enough and felt that she could deal with the matter of her daughter's behaviour, she walked up the stairs and picked-up the hairbrush from her dresser. She stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans and walked into Betty's room without bothering to knock. Betty shot her an angry glare.

"Betty, I very strongly suggest that you drop the attitude right this minute. I don't want to discuss any matter relating to the events this morning with you because, quite frankly, they don't concern us. I'm here to speak to you about your behaviour last night."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Mom, I already told you. It was a mistake and I'm sorry."

Alice slammed her hand on the dresser and the sound made Betty jump.

"DO NOT ROLL YOUR EYES AT ME! NOT TODAY!" Alice's voice had raised three octaves.

Betty's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Sorry, Mum." She mumbled quietly.

"You're getting a spanking." Alice said simply.

Betty opened her mouth. "You've got to be kidding me, right?"

Alice shot her another icy glare. "No."

Betty scoffed loudly. "So that's how it is now, Mom? FP Jones sets the rules in our house?"

Alice took a deep breath as she felt the anger rising again. "You're going to listen to me now and don't open your mouth until I finish talking." Alice said icily. "First of all, this is not our house. We're guests here for all intents and purposes. Second, both **FP Jones** and I are smart enough not to meddle in how we choose to discipline our own kids. Third, need I remind you that if it weren't for **FP Jones**, you and Jughead might be at the police station right now and behind bars. Fourth, and in case you haven't noticed, **FP Jones** is the one providing for your boyfriend and JB out of his sheriff's salary. Money that could be in jeopardy now, because of what you and Jughead did last night. Last but not least, did Jughead complain to you about his punishment? Did he ask you to try and talk **FP Jones** out of it?"

She looked at Betty expectantly and Betty shook her head and blushed. "No, Mom."

Alice nodded. "Right! So, Betty, until we're done here, you've lost the right to drag the name **FP Jones** into this conversation. Is that clear?"

Betty nodded and looked at the floor. "Yes, Mom."

"Ok then. We can start now. What were you thinking, Betty? Drinking and vandalism? In your senior year? Do you realise you could have had a record? That this could have jeopardized your college applications?"

Betty had the grace to look abashed. "I don't know what we were thinking, Mom. I really don't. Suddenly it happened. I'm sorry." She looked at her mother. "You're not really going to spank me, are you? I'm 17."

Alice tapped her nails on the dresser. She looked at Betty thoughtfully. "You know what, Elizabeth? Ever since we had that conversation with the therapist, I've tried really hard to treat you like an adult. I haven't gone through your room, read your diary, questioned your sex life or opened your letters. In retrospect, I have also realized that what I had been doing was wrong. I even paid for Jughead and you to go to your beach holiday for Spring Break. Yet, there's no possible excuse for what you did yesterday. I could even get over the drinking bit, as it is part of teenage life. Playing with matches, however? That's what a 5-year old would do. So, I'm going to treat you like one." Alice patted her lap. "Get over my knees."

Betty took a step back. "No, Mom! That's not happening." She said angrily.

"I AM TELLING YOU AGAIN! DO NOT DARE TO RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME, YOUNG LADY." Alice bellowed. "If you're not over my knees in the next 30 seconds, I'm grounding you for a month. Then perhaps **FP Jones** can go to the beach with Jughead. Heck, I might even pay for JB to go as well. And you and me will have some quality time together here."

Betty looked aghast. "You wouldn't!"

Alice continued the infuriating tapping with her nails. "20, 19, 18, 17…Do I need to go all the way to zero, Elizabeth? Trust me, you don't want to try me."

Betty calculated her options in her head. She looked at her mother and could actually picture her sitting at the PC cancelling her flight and buying one for JB and FP. She slowly moved towards Alice. Once she was close enough, Alice simply pulled her down and over her knees.

"Good choice, Elizabeth!" She tugged at Betty's pyjamas. "Lift! These are coming off."

Betty turned around with a horrified look on her face. "Mom! No!"

Alice raised an eyebrow. "It's been awhile, but don't pretend you don't remember being in this position before. Your boyfriend might be allowed the courtesy of keeping his underwear on. I only spank bare! Lift NOW!"

Betty let out an exasperated sigh. She put some pressure on her toes and Alice swiftly removed the pants together with her underwear. She didn't waste any more time and started spanking her daughter's bottom with her hand. She wasn't spanking very hard, and Betty remained stoic; intent on showing her mother that the chosen method of punishment had no effect on her. Alice continued spanking Betty and as with any spanking, the burn started building-up and Betty squirmed.

"Lay still, Elizabeth." Alice started spanking slightly harder and Betty moaned "Mooooom!"

"What, Elizabeth? Were you expecting a walk in the park? You know what else I call this? A warm-up!"

Having said that, Alice pulled the hairbrush from her back pocket and whacked it across Betty's bottom five times. Hard! Betty let out a pained scream and tried to jump out of her mother's lap. Alice held her down.

"Mom, what are you doing? You can't use a hairbrush on me!" Betty said outraged.

Alice just patted her daughter's bottom with the hairbrush. "Elizabeth, you're not a child, are you? **WHACK**! Only little girls get a hand spanking. **WHACK**! You're 17! **WHACK**! Isn't that what you told me?" **WHACK**! Betty's bottom was turning pink now.

Betty felt the tears in her eyes. "Mom, you're hurting me! Please stop!"

"It's a spanking. It's meant to hurt." **WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!**

Betty was sobbing now. Her bottom was burning, and her mother wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

"Mom, please, I'm begging you." She hiccupped.

**WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!**

Alice was concentrating on the sit-spots now and Betty screamed.

"MOM!" She sobbed. "Please! My bottom is on fire!"

Alice stopped for a second. "Is it now? Like the dumpster?"

**WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!**

"Owwwww! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

**WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!**

Alice stopped. "It's over. You can get-up now."

Betty scrambled off her mother's lap, pulled up her pants back and curled-up on the bed. She shot her mother an angry, tear-filled glare. "Are you happy now that you're done with abusing me?"

Alice felt herself crumbling at the words. After a difficult morning, this was the last straw. She sat on the bed and started crying. Betty looked puzzled. "Mom, you just spanked the living daylights out of me and YOU'RE the one crying?"

Alice wiped her eyes. "Betty, I'm sorry I had to do that. I love you. I want to protect you and I want you to be safe." She inhaled deeply. "I didn't abuse you. I would never do that."

Betty shrugged. "It was just a figure of speech, Mom."

"It isn't to me, Betty." Alice sounded so broken that Betty involuntarily grabbed her hand.

"Mom? What's really going on?"

Alice squeezed her daughter's hand. "You want to know how FP and I really met?"

"I know how you met. You told me already. You went to high-school together." Betty looked confused.

Alice waved her hand. "We had come across each other in high-school. We didn't speak to one another until we were both sitting in the waiting room of the ER together for over 3 hours."

"What?" Betty exclaimed. "What was wrong with you?"

Alice ran her hand across her face. "I was 15 and I had started going out with a boy on the football team. It was all very innocent and one day he took me home and kissed me. Your grandad, may he rest in eternal hell, saw us. I walked through the door and he'd already taken off his belt. He beat me with it until I nearly passed out." Alice let out a sob. "It wasn't the first time of course, but I was sure he was going to kill me that day."

Betty let out another gasp. "Mom!" She covered her mouth in horror.

Alice looked at her with pain-filled eyes. "I pretended to pass-out so that he would leave. He did at some point and I managed to drag myself over to a friendly neighbour. She took me to the hospital."

"No! No! No!" Betty muttered.

"It was very busy that day. I was a young girl from the wrong side of town. I had no insurance and I was breathing. I immediately went all the way to the back of the list. As I was sitting there, I saw FP. He had a bruise on his eye, a cut lip and was clutching his arm, which turned out to be broken. At first we pretended that we didn't know each other. As the time passed, I got thirsty and hungry. I was in so much pain that I couldn't move and I had no money for the vending machine anyway. He must have seen me look longingly at anyone buying a snack. He got-up and bought a sandwich and a coke with the little money he had. He sat down next to me and offered me the food…"

"I had no idea you went through that, Mom. What happened after?" Betty had tears in her eyes.

"We chatted a bit to pass the time. Mostly about school. We both could tell what had brought us in there, so we avoided the subject. Once we were finally seen by a doctor, I had some internal injuries and they kept me there for 3 days. I was terrified that my father would come looking for me. FP's arm had been put in a cast and he was discharged almost immediately. He refused to leave my side for the entire time I was there. At night he'd be kicked out and he would just camp out in the ER waiting room."

Betty shook her head. "And your father?"

"He never came. Later I learned that FP had rallied the Serpents to pay him a visit. He took me back to his trailer and that's where I lived until I got pregnant with Charles and met your father."

Betty hugged her mother tightly. "It was so much more than the fling you made it out to be."

Alice nodded. "Much more. I don't know what I would have done without him."

"I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings, Mom. I should have never used that word." Betty felt dreadful.

"It's ok, Betty. I was already pretty riled-up this morning. If you think listening to Jughead was bad, you can't imagine what it did to me."

Betty closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I don't know what to say. Did you speak to FP about it?"

Alice nodded. "He's devastated. It never crossed his mind that it would take me back to that day. It was so long ago."

"Oh, Mom!" Betty put her head on her mother's shoulder. "I love you and I'm so, so sorry."

Alice kissed her daughter's temple. "I love you too, Betty. I'm sorry I had to punish you."

Betty sighed. "I was a brat and I deserved it. I'll never do anything like that again."

**Thank you for your reviews. This was a very difficult chapter to write. I'm thinking of doing a spin-off with a story about FP and Alice living in the trailer after coming home from the hospital. Let me know what you think about it. I will write one more chapter which will deal with the aftermath. Your reviews are appreciated as always.**


	4. The switch

**_WARNING: CONTAINS THE SPANKING OF TWO CHILDREN AND THE MENTION OF ABUSE. IF IT OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE DON'T READ._**

"Hey Pop!" FP extended his hand to his former boss.

"Good to see you, Sheriff, Jughead!" Pop's face lit-up. "What can I get you? My treat."

FP shook his head. "No need for that, Pop. Every little bit counts for your shop. Remember, I worked the register?" He placed his arm around Jughead's shoulders. "Plus, you know my son. He'll eat you into bankruptcy."

Jughead just smiled and shook his head. His reputation preceded him once more.

Pop laughed. "Have a seat then. I doubt you'll need menus."

FP looked towards Jughead, who nodded. "It's fine, Dad. Let's go find a booth."

Jughead winced as he sat down, and FP felt a pang of guilt. Then he pictured the still smoking dumpster and shrugged. His son had deserved what he had gotten, and he hoped that it would serve as a reminder for the future.

"What can I get you?" Debbie smiled at them.

"A Hungry Man's breakfast for me. Eggs over-easy and medium steak." Jughead said.

"Just my usual." FP smiled.

The food arrived and FP marveled once again at his son's ability to polish off a meal which would have fed a small village. Jughead didn't utter a single word as he shoveled the food into his mouth.

"Wow!" FP just said. "And there's me thinking I could have some leftovers."

Jughead smiled as he patted his stomach. "That was delicious. I don't think you deserve a single home fry today, Dad. Not after wearing me out like that."

FP smirked. "Is that so, son?' He took a sip of coffee. "Glad I at least get to have my caffeine after having been kept-up most of the night."

Jughead toyed around with his fork. "Touché!"

"What's on your mind, Jug? I can tell something is bothering you."

"I'm worried about Betty. We're supposed to go to the beach for Spring Break. Do you think Ms. Cooper, I mean Ms. Smith, I mean Alice, will ground her? And we won't be able to go? I've never been to the beach."

FP sighed. He doubted that the alternative would please his overprotecting son. "I don't know, Jug."

"Would you talk to her if she did? So we could still go? And then Betty could be grounded after?" Jughead looked at him pleadingly.

FP shook his head. "No, son, I wouldn't. Alice is the parent and it's her decision on how she punishes Betty. Same as it was my decision to give you a whipping. I wouldn't have let Alice interfere either."

Jughead looked at him sadly. "Yeah. I thought that's what you would say."

"Or Betty…" FP looked at him pointedly.

Jughead became slightly agitated. "I swear I didn't, I told you this morning already. I told her not to speak to you. I knew it wouldn't make a difference."

"I believe you, Jug. You learned the hard way after all."

Jughead nodded as he remembered the first time his father had used a switch on him.

_It had been in the height of summer. He'd been 9 years old and had wanted to escape the hot trailer. He had been watching Jellybean while his father had gone to the shop to get ice and a fellow neighbor had invited him to his small pop-up pool. The temptation had been too much for the sweating boy and he had grabbed his sister and wandered off._

_When FP returned and didn't find them, he had been beside himself with worry. He scouted the whole of the trailer park until he found them and Jughead had never seen him look so angry. He remembered his father roughly hoisting him out of the small plastic pool, pulling his briefs down and swatting his wet bottom five times in front of all his friends. He then did the same to Jellybean, before marching them both back to the trailer, carrying the crying little girl and dragging Jughead along by his ear._

_Even on that fateful day, his father did not punish them in anger. He had placed Jughead in the corner and put Jellybean down for a nap. He hadn't even scolded him at the time. __It wasn't until after dinner that FP had grabbed a wooden spatula from the kitchen drawer and had placed Jughead over his knee for a spanking on his bare bottom, while lecturing him on being irresponsible and putting himself and his little sister in danger. Jughead had cried and he was still sobbing and trying to rub the sting out of his bottom standing in the corner his father had dragged him to afterwards._

_Then he saw that FP had grabbed the spatula again and had placed a crying Jellybean over his lap. Jughead had felt the guilt and anger engulf him and had pleaded with his father not to spank her. FP had told him very harshly not to interfere and to stay put. Jughead hadn't. As he heard the whack of the spatula and his 4-year-old sister's subsequent scream, he'd ran over to his father, pummeled him and had tried to grab the dreaded tool out of his hand. FP had simply pushed him to the side as he placed another 3 whacks on his daughter's bottom. _

_After he had put the exhausted girl to bed, he had grabbed Jughead's arm._

_"__Now I'll make sure that you'll never, ever interfere with your sister's punishment again."_

_"__But Dad, it wasn't her fault. I took her with me. She wouldn't have gone if it weren't for me."_

_FP had shoved him outside. "We're taking a walk."_

_He had followed his father to the area behind the trailer, where he stopped in front of some large bushes._

_"__I'm going to teach you how to cut a switch now. I'll only show you once and in future you'll come here when asked and do it yourself."_

_Jughead had paled. He hadn't been ignorant as to what the switch was going to be used for. He lived in a trailer park after all and he'd heard plenty of stories from his friends, who had been at the receiving end of it already. He'd been so concerned about the fate of his bottom, that he'd hardly absorbed what his father had been saying. "Too green, too brittle, too dry, too wet…ah yes, perfect. Boy! Are you even listening to me?" Jughead had jumped. "Dad, please don't." FP had simply pointed his finger at the trailer and Jughead had walked back inside. FP had sat back on the chair at the table. "Now, we clean it." _

_Jughead had watched on in wonder as FP had calmly stripped the switch from all it's leaves. Once he'd looked like he was satisfied, he'd patted his lap. "Get back over my knees." Jughead had shaken his head and had retreated three steps, but he was no match for the Serpent King. FP had grabbed his arm and had pulled him over his lap in no time. He had then whacked the switch on his bottom 9 times. Jughead had hardly reacted during the first 3 and then he had felt a sting in his bottom like never before. It felt like a thousand bees had stung him at once. He'd never cried so hard in life. He remembered his father's words like it was yesterday._

_"__Congratulations, son! You've just graduated. No more kitchen implements from now on."_

_The fear of the switch was so much, that he'd spent close to year without being spanked. He also never interfered with the punishments of his sister again._

"Hellooooo, earth to Jughead." He heard his father's voice in the distance. "Debbie wants to know if you want more coffee."

Jughead nodded absentmindedly. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He saw that it was a message from Betty, and he felt a wave of relief washing over him. If she still had her phone, maybe she wasn't grounded after all. He quickly swiped-up to read it.

"No, no, no, no!" His eyes clouded over as her read the message.

'Here we go!' FP thought to himself, as he watched his son.

"She spanked her, Dad!" Jughead said angrily. "With her hairbrush!"

"Oh?" Was all FP said. He hadn't thought Alice would actually have gone through with it.

Jughead looked at him accusingly. "Did you put her up to it?"

"Boy…" FP said warningly. "Don't! I've told you before, remember? No interfering."

Jughead squinted his eyes. "But you knew, didn't you? Is that why we came here? So I wouldn't be in the house?"

"It doesn't matter what I knew or didn't." He slapped his hand on the table. "And it's not why we're here. I wanted to treat you to breakfast. So what if we'd been at home? What would you have done? Stopped Alice?"

Jughead opened and closed his mouth. "I don't know."

"Right!" FP signaled for the check. "I'm guessing you want to go home now to console your girlfriend?"

Jughead nodded. "I feel terrible for Betty. How could Alice have done that? Poor Betty! She didn't exactly grow up in a spare the rod, spoil the child household, did she?" He looked towards his father accusingly as they walked back to the house.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Jug! Stop being so dramatic! It was a spanking, not murder. At least it seems that you'll get to see your beach."

"You mean to say that you don't feel even the slightest bit sorry for her?" Jughead wouldn't let go.

FP stopped and placed his hands on his hips. "No, Jug, I don't! Frankly, I wouldn't even give the matter any more thought, if you didn't keep banging-on about it. You both did a stupid thing and you both got punished in the manner your parents felt you deserved. That's it!" He ran a hand over his hair. "The only thing I regret is that we were overheard. You didn't deserve that and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Jughead held-up his hands in defeat. "Ok, ok. I get it. I won't talk about it with you anymore."

"Thank you." FP said curtly. They had arrived. "Now go check on your girl."

Jughead ran up the stairs and FP went into the kitchen to look for Alice. She wasn't there. He checked in the living-room and she wasn't there either. He decided to check their bedroom, where he found her looking out the window. He walked over to her and hugged her from behind.

"Everything, ok?" He asked quietly. "Jughead told me."

She looked at him with a panicked expression. "Told you what?"

He could see that she'd been crying. "About the spanking. Hey, Al, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

She looked relieved. "Nothing. All is fine."

"Alice, don't do this. You were crying. Only Betty should be the one with red eyes here. I'm asking you again. What's going on?"

Alice crumbled and turned around. He hugged her close as she started crying again.

"I told her, FP. About that day in the ER. I told her everything. I'm sorry. She's going to tell Jughead now."

FP sighed loudly and held her closer to him. "It's ok, Ally, it's ok. I don't care if they know. I'm sorry that you had to re-live that day. I'm sorry I brought it on."

Alice shook her head. "No, no FP. It wasn't your fault." She kissed him. "You might have had a good chat and a nice breakfast with your son. I didn't. She accused me of abusing her." Alice took a deep breath. "When I heard her say that word… it broke me."

"Oh Ally!" FP said again and kissed her head.

"So I told her. I told her what that word meant to me. And it all came out. I only left out the list of injuries. She apologized after. I think she's feeling worse than me right now."

'Concussion, two broken ribs, lacerated spleen, extensive bruising' FP recounted the list in his head. He closed his eyes at the painful memory.

He took her hand and kissed her. "No one will ever hurt you again, Ally. Not as long as you're with me. I'll make sure of that."

Alice smiled as he repeated the same words he had said at the time. "You're so corny, Forsythe!" She punched his chest playfully. "Is your son angry at me?"

FP laughed. "Absolutely livid! And at me for dragging him away and preventing him from being the knight in shining armor."

Alice scoffed. "I think he would've had the same effect on me as Betty did on you."

FP winked at her. "That's pretty much what I'm thinking too. Hey, how about we go for a walk? Escape all the drama here."

Alice nodded. "I think that's an excellent idea."

They walked out the front door hand-in-hand and bumped straight into JB. She smiled at them.

"Hello Dad, Alice! I'm back from my sleepover. What did I miss? Jughead and Betty home?"

"Upstairs." They said in unison.

**Hope you enjoyed the update as much as I enjoyed reading your reviews. I'm probably going to write a separate story next about FP's and Alice's relationship after that dreadful incident. If you have any suggestions or requests, please drop me a line. Thank you for reading!**


End file.
